Incheon Airport Corporation Signs MOU with Japan's Hokkaido Airport... Preparing for Post-COVID-19 Air Travel Demand

On the 28th, at the meeting room of Incheon International Airport Corporation, during the signing ceremony of the business agreement for promoting the use of the Incheon-Hokkaido route held via non-face-to-face video conference, Kim Kyung-wook, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation (right), is taking a commemorative photo with Kamo Takeshi, President of Hokkaido Airport Co., Ltd. (left) after signing the agreement.

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Incheon International Airport Corporation announced on the 28th that it has signed a "Business Agreement for Promoting the Use of the Incheon-Hokkaido Route" with Hokkaido Airport in Japan to expedite the resumption of flight operations in preparation for the post-COVID-19 era.

Hokkaido Airport Co., Ltd., which signed the agreement with the corporation, operates seven airports in the northernmost Hokkaido region of Japan, including Sapporo New Chitose Airport (Shinchitose), Wakkanai, Kushiro, Hakodate, Asahikawa, Obihiro, and Memanbetsu.

Based on this agreement, Incheon International Airport Corporation and Hokkaido Airport Co., Ltd. plan to strengthen mutual cooperation to normalize routes after COVID-19 by promoting the resumption of the Incheon-Hokkaido route and jointly marketing to increase passengers and cargo on the route.

In particular, both parties plan to promote the resumption of flight operations on routes temporarily suspended after COVID-19 through joint marketing activities such as utilizing incentive programs for airlines and airport-linked familiarization tours to attract potential passengers.

Before COVID-19, at the end of 2019, there were a total of 18 routes between Incheon and Japan, including Narita, Kansai, Sapporo, and Okinawa, but currently only four routes?Narita, Kansai, Nagoya, and Fukuoka?are in operation. The corporation judged that there is a high possibility of resuming the Sapporo route, one of Japan's five major cities, once entry restrictions between the two countries are eased, leading to this business agreement.

Meanwhile, the signing ceremony was held in a non-face-to-face video conference format in the meeting rooms of both companies, attended by Kim Kyung-wook, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, and Kamo Takeshi, President of Hokkaido Airport Co., Ltd.

Kim Kyung-wook, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, said, "Based on this agreement, we plan to jointly work to resume and revitalize the Incheon-Hokkaido route, which was suspended after COVID-19, by strengthening cooperation such as joint marketing with Hokkaido Airport."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.